It is a rare case wherein someone searches for a "chiropractor near me" because of text neck. Text Neck is a term used to describe pain in the neck and upper back produced by texting. However, because so many people, particularly youngsters, are constantly using smartphones, iPads, mobile computers, and video games, text neck is becoming a significant problem.
When text messaging, most individuals gaze down at their phones.
According to estimates, most individuals spend 2-4 hours staring down at their phones when messaging, emailing, using apps, or on social media. This amounts to 700–1400 hours per year — and for most teenagers, more than 5000 hours — with the head in a down and forward position, pulling on the neck and supporting muscles and ligaments.
Bad posture is the leading cause of Text Neck. We stress our neck and upper spine more when we text or play video games with our heads bowed forward and down. The average human head weighs between 10 and 12 pounds, but when we text with our heads bowed at a 60o angle, it weighs 60 pounds. Even a 30o downward slope places 40 pounds of strain on the neck, four times what our necks are used to.
The normal curvature of the cervical spine resembles a letter "C," with the opening pointing backward. The spine produces an "S" shape when viewed from all sides. We wouldn't be able to bend, twist, or turn appropriately if our spines didn't have natural and proper curvatures. Texting or scrolling through social media with our heads bowed down and forward is an unnatural position for the neck, forcing the spine's curvature in the opposite direction than it should. This is detrimental to the health of the neck and upper spine.
Hours of poor posture pull against the natural curvature of the spine. Instead of curving appropriately toward the back, the natural curvature of the cervical spine (neck) might reverse and bend oppositely. Hours of sitting (or standing) with our heads forward and down will weaken the muscles in the neck and our back, damage the tissues in the neck, and round the shoulders forward, in addition to the neck bending in the wrong direction.
Text neck may not cause much pain at first or may cause pain that comes and goes, but if left untreated, the text neck will cause a lot of pain over time.
Because only 10% of our nerve system can feel pain, text neck can cause harm long before most people are aware of it. When people start having headaches and neck pain, they usually realize something is wrong.
The nerves it protects can become pinched, endure pressure, or even become herniated discs as Text Neck drags the cervical spine and upper back forward. In addition, subluxations (misalignments) in the spine are caused by the neck. These subluxations, in turn, produce interference in the neurological system, resulting in not only discomfort but also impaired communication between your brain and your muscles, organs, and every other bodily function. Physically, your muscles will weaken with time, your shoulders will curve forward, and you will appear slumped over.
The nerves in the cervical spine and upper back (C1 – T5) will be the most affected by text neck. The nerves that exit the spine in this location are primarily responsible for the activities of your eyes, brain, sinuses, hearing, facial muscles, pituitary glands, and other parts of your body. In addition to modifying the spine's natural curvature, pulling the head forward changes the shape and size of the holes through which the nerves exit the spine. As a result, the nerves are squeezed, and their function is reduced.
Chiropractors are the best-qualified doctors in the medical industry to treat text neck and the difficulties that come with it because of their training. Text Neck causes misalignments of the vertebrae in the neck (cervical spine) and upper back. Thus it's only reasonable to seek treatment from a chiropractor qualified to realign the vertebrae in your spine.
At Peak Potential Family Chiropractic - Houston Heights, we may use an x-ray to show you precisely what difficulties the text neck has caused and how far your condition is. We'll be able to find and fix your problem, relieve your pain, and, in most cases, reverse the difficulties caused by text neck so that your nerves can work properly again.
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